How to Tell if Your Avocado is Ripe Enough To Eat

Aside from being delicious and a great addition to many recipes, avocados also offer various health benefits for those who eat them. However, gauging whether or not your avocado is ripe enough to eat can be incredibly difficult, especially since they’re only sliced open when they’re about to be served.

So, how do you eliminate the guesswork and accurately learn when it’s time to slice that piece of delicious fruit up?

Picking the Right Avocado at the Grocery

Before you can even slice an avocado open, you’ll first have to get some at the grocery. However, since it’s not exactly advisable nor permissible for you to open up one without purchasing it first, here are some tips on how you can pick the right avocados at the local grocery.

There are two methods of how to compare the avocados at your local supermarket:

Via its skin color

A primary indication that an avocado is ripe is the color of its skin. The darker it is, the riper it maybe than the others. However, this is not always an accurate indication as the color can vary.

Via its firmness

To determine the ripeness of your avocado through its firmness, put it in your palm and without applying pressure using your fingertips, gently squeeze it.

Firm – If it’s still firm, then the avocado is still a few days away from being considered ripe. It usually takes 4-5 days for it to reach its full maturity and is often a vivid green hue. This is perfect if you don’t plan on eating or serving them right away.

“Breaking” – These are typically softer but still firmer than ripe avocados and you can still store them for around a day or 2 before they ripen completely.

Soft but still firm – If it yields even to gentle pressure, then it’s already ready to serve or eat that same day.

Mushy – If it feels mushy when you hold it, then it’s past its prime and is already considered overripe.

If you’re not planning to eat or serve them right away, the best avocados to choose are the still unripe ones. This will give them more time to ripen and ensure you have fresh avocados.

Life Hack: How to Accurately Know When Your Avocado is Ready

However, the aforementioned technique is still a hit or miss and it may take some time and experience to get used to it. So, how do you accurately learn the ripeness of your avocado?

Well…

Did you know that by checking under the avocado’s stem, you can have a sneak peek of what’s going on inside without wasting a perfectly good piece of fruit?

By peeling back the small stem found at the top, you can easily view the status of its ripeness. If it’s green, then it’s good to go and ready for eating and/or serving. However, if you find brown flesh underneath, then it’s already considered overripe and it’s probably only a slimy mess inside.

And if it refuses to budge? Then, it’s not yet ripe enough.

Final Thoughts

Avocados are nutritious fruits that have plenty of health benefits when eaten in moderation. However, it’s notoriously difficult to learn whether or not it’s ripe enough to eat. Hopefully, with this life hack, you can eliminate the guesswork when it comes to its ripeness and simply enjoy the fruit and everything it has to offer.